(Bleach) Awake and Alive - Chapter 1: The Dream and the Girl

-Dream-

Everything was dark. Nothing shined and no sound was heard.

Boom!

Thunder crackled in the sky and lightning flashed in the horizon. The flash shined over a cliff hanging over a raging sea.

Hanging over the edge of the cliff was a person, distinguished as a young girl, but her exact look wasn't visible. Her body was hanging limb over the edge of the cliff, the only part of her body with any strength was her tiny hand holding on desperately to another.

The other hand was part of a little boy, roughly the same age as the girl. His body was lying down on the cliff's head, his hand over the edge tightly grasping onto the girl's. But his hand was slowly losing grip as the pelting rain from above kept hitting them.

"Please...don't let go...I need you.." His tears mixed with the rain. He wouldn't let his hold go on her no matter what...he just couldn't.

The girl smiled up to him sadly with her own tears flowing down her face. "...I'm sorry..."

Then at the moment, lightning flashed in the background and their grips separated from their loose, slippery hands. The boy's eyes widened as he saw the girl fall to the sea below the cliff.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!"

Hitsugaya woke up in a start at the sound of the emergency bell ringing though out the Sereitei.

He immediately got out of bed and changed into his shinigami uniform, along with his captain haori over top and his zanpakuto, Hyourinamaru, too. When he was all ready to go, he began to shunpo to the 1st Division's meeting room, forgetting all memories of the dream behind.

Finally arriving to the meeting room, Hitsugaya saw that he was the last one to arrive. All the other division captains and lieutenants were there, including some other shinigami who knew the names of their zanpakuto.

As Hitsugaya took his spot beside his lieutenant, Rangiku, Captain-Commander Yamamoto appeared infront of the present shinigami.

"I'm glad you all could arrive in short notice, especially you four in the Human World." Yamamoto's gaze went to a video screen on the other side of the room.

On the screen was Yoruichi, Ichigo, Rukia, and Urahara. They were looking at their own video screen in Urahara's Shop in the Human world.

Ichigo looked at the screen with an irritated look and his right eye-brow was raised up. "Yo Gramps! What's the big emergency this early in the morning?" Before any of the captains could yell at his behaviour, Rukia punched Ichigo's head and followed with a kick in the shin. "That's no way to talk to the Head Captain!" Ichigo was about to yell back, but Yamamoto let out a cough, getting everyone's attention.

"Now then let's begin."

Whirring sounds were then heard. Everyone looked over to see another video screen appear above the Head Captains head.

"Some of you will know this person, but most of you won't...and I apologize to you." Everyone stood confused at the Head Captains words, but then their attention was drawn to the screen that had begun to lit up.

Before their eyes, a girl in a shinigami's attire and a captain's haori over top appeared on the screen. She had bright gold eyes and chocolate brown hair that was held up in pigtails by 2 red ribbons. Her right hand was gripping her zanpakuto that was on her left shoulder and her other hand was holding a piece sign to the camera. Aside from her tooth-grinned face, she also had a pair of white wolf ears on her head and finally a white wolf tail hanging out from the back.

Most of the shinigami stared surprised at this new, unknown shinigami that they have never seen before, especially since the girl appeared to be a captain from the haori on her shoulders. The only ones who had a different expression on their faces were: Ukitake, Kyoraku, Byakuya, Soifon, Unohana, Urahara, and Yoruichi.

Ukitake and Unohana looked at the girl with sad eyes, alongside them, Kyoraku tipped his hat down to cover his eyes. Also Byakuya and Soifon turned their heads to the side, hiding their sad expression from the others.

But they were not as bad as the two who were in the Human world.

Unlike anybody else, Yoruichi had begun to cry on the spot. Her tears would not slow down in speed, the picture on the screen would not leave her mind. So many memories began to fill her mind and she couldn't help but weep out loud infront of everyone.

Urahara brought her into a hug, his own tears flowing too, but not as much as Yoruichi's. This was a tremendous sadness that enveloped them and only the select few knew why.

Not only Ichigo and Rukia, the other shinigami, who knew nothing of this girl, could not believe that they were seeing the great Urahara and Yoruichi cry.

"Ano Gramps...who is that girl?" Ichigo's question broke the awkward silence and the one thing that everyone had on their mind too.

Yamamoto looked up at the picture with grief in his old eyes. "That there was the last 10th Division Captain...Mikari Shihoin."